PM to join A serious inquiry

[Quint Caravel]

81st day of Fall, 513 AV

Several blocks away from the river, Quint Caravel strode with some determination down the street. He turned a corner, cut through an alley, then waited a few moments for a pair of people standing at the other side to leave. He attempted to blend into the shadows cast by a tall building. Unsure if he was successful or if they just didn't care, he waited until they were gone then made it out the other side.

Quint had several underestimated the city of Sunberth; he would not make that mistake again. He had been enraptured by its openness and freedom but had not realized that the lack of leadership was a two-edged sword: in a power vacuum people cared more about themselves than others and tended to show less kindness and respect to others than they might normally do.

He understood that Sunberth was not the most hospitable town. He understood that some here were paranoid and others were disdainful of newcomers. He saw that there were cliques and that many were wary of people that had not yet met. It was easy to offend people here. But it surprised him just how thoroughly cold and uninviting this place was.

Quint was not a quitter-- he enjoyed this land and province-- but he suspected that Sunberth might not be for him. He didn't feel welcome or appreciated in any way, and had not made a single friend since his arrival.

Well, underneath the easy-going exterior, he was who he was. Or at least who he was now, since his dunking in the ocean. It had changed him. Once he had been purely affable and easy-going. Now he remembered slights and snubs, and found himself unwilling to forgive those who underestimated him simply because he was new here and finding his way.

He was who he was. Part of him was of the sea, and therefore some part of him had been made in the emotional makeup of Laviku. He could deny it all he wanted to, but he hadn't acquired what few skills he had because he was a nice guy. Larceny and subterfuge and acting and disguise: he knew what he was doing as a teenager when he had learned his craft.

He just hadn't applied himself as he wasn't sure he had the stomach for what needed to be done. Or rather, he knew darn well that he did have the stomach for it but was running from that half of himself.

Well, he would run no more.

Now he strode with solemn purpose towards the employment office known as the Establishment.

He hadn't been here in a long time so he looked around, attempting to see what he could observe. It was much like he remembered it, with the front room being a sort of lobby with dull lighting. As usual it was crowded-- especially now with all the flooding and damage to Sunberth this season forcing people to look for more jobs than usual-- but Quint forced his way through the crowd and towards the wall where the parchements and papers were kept.

He read through various listings. Some he was overqualified for and some were meant only for the lowest dregs and drudges that could do nothing else. He kept reading until one caught his eye, grabbed it off the wall just as a small Kelvic woman was about to, then took it to one of the counters in the back.

"Hello. I'd like to register this, please. What's the finder's fee on this one?"

The woman replied with a price that was about five times more than Quint had expect to pay, and that was after tripling the price in his head. He offered to pay half of that amount. When the woman explained that there was no bargaining, he offered to pay three-quarters of her suggested price. She started to summon a large, muscular man over and Quint hastily suggested 110% of the clerk's offer. The woman had either forgotten her original quote or was in no mood to haggle over such a minute amount, so she nodded. Perhaps pleased at making an extra bit of profit.

Quint glanced down at the parchment he had grabbed. "For The Greater Good" it had said at the top of it.

It had caught his eye because he had been getting rather bruised and banged-up since arriving here. And he was tired of the physical smacks and verbal put-downs. A classy connection like this would do him good.

He made sure there were no duplicate notices-- if there were he took them down-- got directions from the clerk-- she seemed amiable enough now that she'd been paid in full-- and he went out of the building and on his way.

Quint had tried the path of cooperation and friendship, and had found himself snubbed and ignored. Now it was time he adapted to the reality of living in Sunberth.

[Quint Caravel]

Unfortunately, things did not go as simple or as smooth as he had planned. Sunberth was a very dangerous place and his goal would have let him into the heart of one of its worst areas. Quint was not arrogant but he was still somewhat young and naive and thought he might just move around unscathed if he presented a harmless enough target.

His mistake was in thinking that the people here were looking for a challenge and simply wanted to fight and duel each other to see who was top dog. Well, he wasn't wrong about that: there were many here looking to prove themselves. He was simply wrong in thinking everyone was like that. Sadly for Quint, there were many who did not want a challenge at all, and just wanted a mark. Someone they could easily rob or mug or otherwise annoy and harass.

Once such fellow had been quietly following him. This was a small but muscular Kelvic man whose breath smelled frankly of fish. A man who had picked Sunberth as much for the access to the river as for access to an endless supply of easy victims.

"Little fish, little fish..."

The stranger's singsong words dripped with syrup and false promises.

"Don't run away, little fish," the syrupy voice coaxed.

He was so much closer than Quint had thought.

"You have something I want. And I always get what I want."

Quint looked all around and didn't see anyone. He'd been working hard on his ability to observe and detect, but some other had been working much longer on the ability to remain unobserved and undetected until they wanted to. The little Kelvic man was one such person, apparently.

Before Quint could even reply, he felt a whiff on the back of his neck, a breath that smelled frankly of sardines, then a sap cracked Quint on the back of the head just enough to stun him, and a hand grabbed at his own fingers. His ring-- the only thing of value to him both in Mizas and in memories-- was taken from him. Bony fingers, surprisingly strong, grabbed at his own, and his prize possession was lost. Quint Caravel, the man who had come to Sunberth to become someone feared and respected, now he was reduced to nothing more than a statistic. A victim. A victim of a mugging.

He tried to turn and catch a glimpse of his assailant but he was too late to see anything but part of a leg-- rust colored pants and a muddy red shoe. His mugger had already turned the corner and was slipping away.

* * *

The next day, the man who had come to the Establishment to take a parchment now entered with one in hand. He put a help wanted sign of his own. The big letters at the top read:

'Looking for a friend.'

'Friend wanted. Man or woman who can take care of himself with a weapon or without.'

Below that, Quint gave the details. Making it clear that he was looking for someone for an escort mission, Quint added a few preferred weapon choices, such as dagger, long knife, gladius or cutlass-- weapons most useful in Sunberth than a longsword or lance or some such weapon good only from horseback-- then went to the counter to register himself. Once the formalities were over and the fees paid to the greedy clerk, Quint hung up his parchment and waited to see who would show up.

[Jack Talas]

Jack strode into the masses at the Establishment, clearly used to the crowded streets and buildings of Sunberth. However he was not at all pleased with how this building was filling more and more everyday. All these people meant it was harder for him to grab jobs, other mercs and even regular citizens tearing down his pickings. He usually slid in between people but now often just shoved them lightly out of his way. The scythe on his back giving him a threatening presence and clearly a small space for him even if the weapon would be rather impractical in these tight quarters.

A clear frown flowed across his face as he looked across the boards filled with listings. Jobs were clearing out fast, most of the physical jobs pertaining to repairs and simple labor now. Jack ran a hand across his face and kept glaring at the board, trying to find a job. Straining his eyes he filtered through the listings that didn't suit him. Finally one sign caught his eye, in large lettering someone was looking for a friend. Jack understood this was a protection mission, no one actually looks for friends in Sunberth, they look for business partners.

Reaching over for the paper Jack was interrupted by a hand. A human male slightly taller than Jack but a bit thinner smacked Jack's hand away and grabbed the paper himself. It took only a second before Jack was closer to the man, glaring into his eyes. This man had a much rougher face, he had obviously seen a fair share of bad missions. Jack identified this as either a veteran, or just a very bad merc. Already people took steps back to give them a bit of space in the crowd, "You're going to give me that paper." Jack ordered the man, his hand slowly reaching up to run a finger along his scythe's blade.

Clearly not looking for a fight the man handed over the list, grumbling the whole way. It was a smart move, fighting would have meant possible injury for possibly both men, putting them out of the job weather they won or not. It wouldn't take too long to find another job listing and so the man shrugged and went about his business. Jack glared ice into the man's back, waiting for him to turn or make a move. When no move was made he looked down at the paper and read the more intricate details. He frowned slightly at the mention of the smaller weapons, if it did come down to that close quarters Jack figured he could resort to his unarmed training. His scythe increased his aura of intimidation, most people had no idea how a scythe even fought and so tended to avoid combat with it. Oftentimes it would be more efficient not to fight at all, much like what had happened with the fight over the job, intimidation was a very useful strategy.

Taking the paper to the counters Jack quickly paid the finder's fee and began looking around the room for whoever had set up this little advertisement. He had a feeling this one belonged to a fresh face to Sunberth, as commonly only merchants or strangers to the city asked for protection. He clearly held the paper in his hand for all to see, hoping his new employer would notice, "Another baby sitting job it seems." He grumbled to himself lightly.

[Quint Caravel]

82nd day of Autumn, 513 AV

(ooc: Jack, look for your name in bold to see where you come in. See below)(/ooc)

Quint pondered on the list of potential job applicants. Thanks to the flood and the usually lawless state of the city of Sunberth, there was never a shortage of people looking for a job. And this being Sunberth, the people who applied for a job weren't always the best qualified. Or even qualified at all. Some people simply lied about their qualifications, hoping for a job.

So far he had seen two people already, and had had to put the notice back on the board after the two failed interviews.

The first was with a little Pycon who called himself Ottoa. Quint had never really met a Pycon before, at least not that he could recall-- there weren't many of them sailing the Suvan Seas in the area of his clan, his Pod, far as he knew-- but this little clay fellow now introduced himself and claimed he was a might warrior, at least among Pycons.

"What did you say your name was? Ottoa? A warrior among Pycons?" Quint narrowed his eyes and peered carefully at the floor. Eventually he decided to squat down so that he could see Ottoa in better focus.

The Pycon strutted around for a moment. "Well, I am Ottoa, but my friends call me Odd Ottoa. And oh yes, I am an absolute master of the ancient martial art known as Py-Ken!"

Quint shrugged, not at all sure what to make of this. "No offense, but you seem rather small. Can you give me a demonstration?"

Ottoa nodded. "I have brought a doll, a figurine, just for this purpose. I shall attack it now with a combination of my Py-whip, Py-String, Py-Pole and of course the ancient art of Py-Ken."

Quint watched in fascination for the next several minutes as Ottoa unleashed a truly awesome barrage of attacks, feints, stabs, strikes and assorted other maneuvers against the hapless doll. He had never seen anything like it, and he had been there when the amusing Daedalus Dagwood had not only dropped his own sword but caused his opponent to also drop his, forcing the two men to switch weapons. In Sunberth there was little you couldn't see if you went looking for it. But this demonstration took the cake.

The Pycon continued attacking the doll, which eventually fell on it and pinned it to the ground. Ottoa sobbed out: "A little help here, Mr. Caravel, please?!"

Helping the Pycon out, Quint assured him that he would contact him if ever he needed to be saved from an angry Kelvic ferret, then sent him on his way.

At least the Pycon had meant well, and was sincere enough. The next applicant was an Akalak who claimed to be the strongest man in the area.

At first Quint was very happy. He had only heard good things about Akalak warriors from other sailors. Except the interview went downhill before it had even begun.

He had said to the fellow: "I'm Quint Caravel. Tell me about yourself and why you think you'd be a good fit for the protection job."

Before the Akalak could even utter a syllable, he turned to the left as if listening to a voice only he could hear. He nodded, then his face turned to a scowl and he turned to the right. This went on for several minutes.

Quint was a patient man, but he did not understand what was going on. "Hey, is everything all right?"

The scowling Akalak now frowned at him and appeared just about to bark out an answer when he turned to the right, listened carefully to someone in the crowd-- Quint wasn't sure who-- and then his face softened and he turned to the left.

This went one for several bells and chimes and there appeared to be no end in sight.

Eventually, Quint took back his help-wanted sign and put it back up on the back wall.

Jack

Some time passed. Quint was despairing of getting any help-- and was about to cancel the listing altogether-- when he saw someone heading his way. He had missed the commotion in the back as he watched two women fight over a listing in the corner and so he was startled to see Jack standing there with the paper in his hands.

Quint strode over rather purposefully. He sized Jack up with a glance. Good, the man seemed capable of defending himself, and he seemed focused and alert. That put him two steps ahead of both previous applicants.

"Ah, you have my listing. Good. My name is Quint Caravel, a sailor who has recently returned to Sunberth after some time away, and I am need of traveling to a part of Sunberth I do not wish to go to on my own. Let's step out side."

Quint pointed at the exit and indicated for Jack to follow him. He spoke while he strode through the crowd. "It's quieter out there. You can tell me a bit about yourself, and there will be ample opportunity to demonstrate your skills and abilities before we get a block away from here."

He turned and looked very seriously at Jack. "So don't bluff or exaggerate; just tell me who you are, what you can and can not do, and so forth. And also let me know if you are capable of teaching any weapon or unarmed skills as I am also looking to hire a coach."

Quint explained his end of things: the job would be temporary while they sized each other up and go to know each other. Quint would have more permanent work available in the winter should things go well now in the autumn season.

[Jack Talas]

Jack eyed Quint as he approached, clearly measuring the man. He seemed incredibly... average, nothing seemed particularly good or bad so far. He'd picked one heck of a time to return to Sunberth, the city was still quite the wreck but repairs were underway. Traveling to a part of the city were one wouldn't want to be caught on his own? That pretty well summed up Sunberth Jack thought to himself, atleast this man was smart enough to hire help. Jack simply nodded at Quint when he asked to step outside, he followed and listened to all the man had to say. All the while his eyes twitched back and forth between the people in the crowd.

When Quint turned and gave him a strong look, Jack found something out of the ordinary, a rather chilling pair of eyes. Still he looked back into them, matching the serious look. After Quint and finished speaking Jack put out his hand in a sign of good faith more than a greeting, "My name is Jack Talas, I was born and raised in Sunberth so I know the city well. My father was a mercenary and I trained under him, that's why I'm here now." He explained," I can help you if you get into a scrap, or need to convince someone of something in a more... rough way. But if you're looking for a smooth talker you've got the wrong guy. And just to be clear we're equals, I'll follow you orders but you won't be getting much help from me if you start treating me like dirt."

Jack's eyes broke away and searched the crowd again, sizing up anyone who approached. They very quickly settled back on Quint and Jack spoke again, "As for coaching, I'm afraid that unless you want to pack on of these..." Jack reached a hand up and ran a hand across his scythe's blade, "I won't be much help again. I have my unarmed skills but I do not think they are teaching quality."

Jack completely accepted the temporary terms, there was no point conducting business with someone if you didn't mix well. Getting another client meant more money for him, as such Jack was going to be on his best behavior. Work was always harder to come by in the winter months, so a client during that time would be very useful indeed. However he still held that if this man became one of those who would believe themselves greater than him he would have no business with him any longer. Now for the details of the job, "So what exactly are we up to? And a why to go along with that would also be nice." Jack questioned, not liking to get into anything without knowing what the whole deal was.

[Quint Caravel]

Quint nodded as Jack Talas spoke. "That seems fair enough. I'll answer your questions in a moment, but first I want to agree that you have every right to expect to be treated fairly. It's why I left Syliras-- I did not like to be lorded around like some peasant by all those high-and-mighty squires and knights." He slapped at his chest. "No sir. It's the reason I came to Sunberth! No one rules me, and I rule no man!"

Just like Jack, he was not a smooth talker. But he spoke with conviction and meant what he said. He had hated the stifling confines of Syliras and always felt patronized there by all the condescending knights. Quint told Jack a few tales of his youth; it was clear that he had no love for authority, or even for being an authority.

Quint pointed at the scythe. "I have no idea what that is, what it is called, or how to use it. So certainly I'd be willing to learn a little bit about it. What can you tell me? I'll need the most basic basics at first, as to what it is and how you ended up wielding it. Where is it most effective, and against whom?"

In Sunberth, any knowledge of any combat or any weapon might someday be the difference between life and death. It would all be useful. Plus if they one day got into a scrape too much for Jack alone, at least Quint could lend some aid with something besides his fists.

Then Quint pointed down the street. "As to where we are going, we are going to visit the person who left this other note. We are going to visit the Clinic of a man named Dr. Petricious."

[Jack Talas]

The smallest of grins tugged on the corners of Jack's mouth as Quint announced his reason for coming to Sunberth. The man was very enthusiastic about it, Jack gave him that, he fit in with the Sunberthian crowd quite well. Not only that but now he had insurance that this man wasn't going to irritate him for the rest of the job. Jack had never truly gone far from Sunberth but Syliras certainly did not sound like an appetizing place to go at all. Jack felt more comfortable knowing he was on the same page as Quint in at least one thing so far.

Jack listened in silence, nodding at Quint's stories of his younger years. Jack had never had any issues with any official authorities as well, there were none in this lawless city. Jack repaid the stories with his own, recounting a few tails of previous jobs, detailing his more condescending and high horse employers. Jack simply just didn't like being treated as less, and being a man who repays his debts, he often made sure his employer paid for it some way or another.

Jack followed Quint's finger to his scythe, then looked back at Quint with a slightly questioning gaze. He shrugged, maybe he hadn't heard of a scythe before, they weren't the most common things after all. Slowly he reached behind him and pull the scythe forward, placing the butt on the ground making it stand like a tower. The name Talas clearly faced Quint, roughly edged into the blade, as if it was battered with a sharp stone. It was a very basic scythe, strengthened and balanced for battle but still just simple iron.

Pointing a flat hand at it, Jack presented the weapon, "This is a scythe, It's usually used in farming but like just about anything it can be used as a weapon. This one is of a more violent variety, it's stronger than regular farming tools. Like I said earlier my father was a mercenary, he also used a scythe, his was made of cold iron though. He bought me one and trained me with it when he had the time. Honestly one of it's best uses is for scaring the living daylights out of people. A lot of people see it as a symbol of death, tends to get everyone on edge. It's better for combat where you have some room to work with the length though. As for who? Well it'll work on just about anything you want dead, unless you're chasing a ghost or something. If you really want to I can teach you some tricks with it later." Jack finished saying.

Unfortunately Jack now realized this man seemed completely unarmed. Not a weapon in sight, maybe he was hiding one? Even if he was it would need to be a much smaller weapon, so unless Quint was good with it Jack figured he'd be doing most if not all of the fighting. But then again that's exactly what he signed up for, an escort mission. Hopefully he'd be able to scare off anyone he needed too, fighting with his scythe with Quint near him would be tougher.

Jack was bothered greatly by who they were visiting. Dr. Preticious was not a man you wanted to be on the bad side of. More than once he'd patched Jack up true, but he always gave even the bravest of men chills, "Listen to me on this one, the Doctor is not a man you want to mess with. Don't try anything too funny with him, just giving you a fair warning. Lead the way and I'll follow."

[Quint Caravel]

Quint listened carefully to what Jack said. "Huh. Okay, that's very interesting. In that case we'll just visit the Clinic. And at the first sign of trouble from the doctor or anyone else, we'll bolt. I've just arrived back in Sunberth; I don't want to anger a high-roller like the doctor."

He then studied the scythe and paid attention to what Jack said. "Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with a lesson or two. If something goes wrong I'd rather be on the giving end of one of those than the receiving end, and right now I don't even know which is which. So yeah, even the basics will help."

Quint paused for a moment. "Oh, before I forget. I'm inviting some friends to Rubys tomorrow night. I don't expect any trouble, but that can be a wild crowd and we may have some serious business to discuss. Either way, there will be cheap wine and expensive women, and that can be an explosive combination. You're welcome to join us. My treat, far as the drinks go. You meet a woman you like, well that part is on you."

Quint checked the time. "Oh wait, it's the night after that, the 84th. Anyway, come join us. It should be a nice break from escort missions and mercenary work. Even a guy with a scythe needs a night on the town once in a while."

He gave Jack the directions.